Text 18081, 85 rader
Skriven 2008-12-19 18:59:14 av Carol Shenkenberger (24556.cooks)
     Kommentar till en text av Glen Jamieson (24519.cooks)
Ärende: AUXILLARY PICNICS 81218
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 >  > Apart from you and MLoo, have any other Echo people ever done that?
 >  CS> Dont know.  Be interesting to find out!
 > 
 > I have raised this point of living without cars, as Echo folk are
 > getting older, and some are likely to face the prospect in the
 > foreseeable future of not being able to drive, so would have to
 > consider what alternatives are available, and where.

Mass transit in general in the USA is not good as you noted.

 >  CS> Grin, I can understand.  In my area, you do see a bit more walking
 >  CS> right near me and in fine weather, some of us are known to walk up to
 >  CS> Harris Teeters will a cart of some sort (like my pull cart) or bicycle
 >  CS> ride with a backpack and baskets to there.  Don walks to Walmart in
 >  CS> good weather (his arthritis doesnt take well to doing that when it's
 >  CS> cold so he takes a cab then).
 > 
 > Yeah, I understand the bit about Arthur reacting to cold weather. I try
 > to avoid that by flying North in the coldest time of the year.  Then I
 > can still get my "use it or lose it" exercise.  Quite a few people
 > around here ride bicycles, but as the designated bicycle tracks do not
 > connect everywhere the accident rate is fairly high.  Some others use
 > electric scooters.

Had some bad spots in Japan too along my ride to home and back.  Used the
crosswalk and the light unlike some fools.

 >  > would expect that in USA there would be sufficient numbers of
 >  > non-driving residents - aged, disabled, children - living nearby to
 >  > justify the existence of such shops.
 > 
 >  CS> There are in parts of it.  Just have to be in the right part.
 >  CS> Somehow, we got to be a place where 'mega shops' got popular and many
 >  CS> mom-n-pop sorts of grocery or stores went away.  Not all of them mind
 >  CS> you, but plenty of folks here may not have anything other than a 7-11
 >  CS> in walking distance or may not even have that.  Lets add that quite a
 >  CS> few here have medical issues which preclude distance walking but if
 >  CS> they think of habits before that, they may fall better in line with
 >  CS> what you are used to, and i got used to.
 > 
 > Perhaps there are areas where non-driving people and small shops have
 > come together to form an old-style community?  If so, I haven't seen
 > them in USA.

You havent probably seem much rural USA?  It's there still.  Small towns with
900 or so folks max still have the local store.  I mention several even here
in my bigger city with the Japan foods store etc.

 >  > Without public transport or assistance from friends or relatives how do
 >  > such people live?  Once upon a time, 100 or more years ago, there
 >  > probably were such small shops; what has happened to them, and why?
 > 
 >  CS> People who live _in_ cities may have that too, but some of us live in
 >  CS> the residental areas away from the shops.  Being as Don doesnt drive, I
 >  CS> selected our house with that in mind so he does have some things he can
 >  CS> easily walk to (7-11 type places, 2 within 300 yards etc).  I'd have to
 >  CS> actually measure the mall but it's suitable at a 30 min walk or so.
 >  CS> Walmart is about a 20 min walk (15 if walking fast).  Laundry cleaners
 >  CS> is next to 7-11.  Other direction has a grocery store and several small
 >  CS> stores (bar even and there are 3 bars within 2 miles of us but Don's
 >  CS> favorite is about 4 miles so uses a cab).  Liquor store even by the big
 >  CS> grocery.
 > 
 > That is halfway reasonable.  It is better to have a purpose in walking
 > than just for the exercise, and then having to drive to get supplies,
 > etc.  If you take the dog with you, you have 3 reasons for your walk.

Heheh eyes, and selected the house at least a good bit in part for these
needs.  We are however well off any bus grids.  Nearest one is a 2 mile walk
in one direction, or a shopping line that doesnt suit work hours 1 mile in
another direction (happens to be at the mall so useless to us to walk a mile
to the mall to get on the bus to the mall...)

 > You are lucky to have cheap cabs.  I don't suppose there are buses or
 > trains, or you would have mentioned them?  What will you do when you
 > retire, so don't have the excuse of work to keep the car - borrow your
 > daughter's? :)

Heheh well, real retirement is some 20 years away for me so will have to
think on that one when I hit 65 or so.  67 actually now for us in my age
group.
            xxcarol
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